The Celtics only mustered two points in the final 4:51 of regulation on Friday night against the Nuggets. That ugly offensive finish opened the door for Denver to end Boston’s 20-game home winning streak on Friday night with a 102-100 win at TD Garden.
Jayson Tatum was front and center for Boston’s late-game woes, missing a potential game-tying shot with two seconds remaining and another layup in the game’s final minute, which were the team’s final two attempts of the game. The latter shot attempt with 17.7 seconds remaining was the more controversial sequence as Tatum attempted to go 1-on-4 in transition against the Nuggets before missing a contested layup at the rim. However, the All-Star took fault for his final shot attempt as well, a one-footed fadeaway with two seconds left on the clock.
“I think I kind of rushed it and that’s on me. In the back of my mind, I wasn’t sure if they were going to foul,” Tatum said. “They had a foul to give. But I had more time than I gave myself, so I should have taken some more time. But can’t go back, so something I can learn from.”
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Tatum was left in a tough spot on the possession after Joe Mazzulla called timeout with just four seconds remaining after Boston’s initial play call went nowhere.
“Well, they had a foul to give,” Joe Mazzulla said of his decision. “So I was making sure that we just got the shot and got into the set that we wanted, and so I wasn’t sure when they were going to use their foul to give. So we got JB in his spot. I thought he got into the paint, and he did a good job kicking it out. And then they were about to use their foul to give when I called the timeout, and then just got JT to his spot and tried to make a play.”
Tatum struggled with his shot for much of the night going 9-of-24 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range while finishing with 24 points. While Tatum took the blame for missing a tough final shot, his decision to rush Boston’s possession with 17 seconds left may have been the more questionable choice. Mazzulla defended it after the game, however.
“I mean, your best player has the ball and an opportunity, and whether it was on two or three guys, you got a layup and he just missed it,” Mazzulla said. “So, I mean, the balance is you trust your best player to make a play, and he just didn’t make it.”
“You always wanted to be aggressive and then let your instincts take over and try to make the right play,” Tatum said. “But, I missed a lot of — missed a couple of bunnies at the end. I gotta be better and just really finish those.”
The Celtics and Tatum will get a chance to bounce back from the ugly finish on Sunday night against Ime Udoka and the Rockets in Houston.
